Sacral Massage With a Tennis Ball on Labor Pain and Comfort During the Intrapartum Period

Although pregnancy and labor are physiological events, the pain caused by uterine contractions during labor is among the most severe pains. This causes many women to fear labor. For this reason, control of labor pain should be one of the main goals of the care given to women in labor. Therefore, this study was designed to determine the effect of sacral massage with a tennis ball on labor pain and labor comfort in the intrapartum period.

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Key information

Conditions

Pain Management Agnosia Birth Comfort Labor Pain Massage Effect Nervous System Diseases Neurobehavioral Manifestations Neurologic Manifestations Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Perceptual Disorders Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

About this study

Pregnant women hospitalized in the maternity unit will be evaluated for compliance with the inclusion criteria. Women who meet the inclusion criteria and are willing to participate in the study will be randomized according to the simple random numbers table and the study group will be determined by the researcher by drawing lots. The purpose and stages of the study will be explained verbally to the women whose group is determined and the women will be asked to read and sign the Informed Voluntary Consent Form. Then, the Pregnancy Identification Form will be filled in by the researchers using the face-to-face interview method. Then the massage will be explained to the pregnant women in the experimental group and they will be asked to evaluate the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) before the procedure. While performing this application, the researcher will apply pressure to the sacral region with a tennis ball in a circular motion in a way that the patient can feel but not feel pain. The application will be applied to the pregnant woman for a total of 3 contractions. 30 minutes after each procedure, the woman will be asked to mark the intensity of the pain she feels on the VAS scale and to mark the Birth Comfort Scale.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

To be able to read and write Turkish,
Being over 18 years old
Being primiparous
Singular foetus and head presentation
Pregnancy at term (37-42 weeks)
Those without risk factors during pregnancy
Being in the active phase of labour in stage 1
Women without any chronic diseases
Those without a diagnosed psychiatric illness
To agree to participate in the research

Exclusion criteria

If the participant wishes to leave the study voluntarily
Administration of any analgesic medication to reduce pain during labour
Development of any of the unexpected maternal-fetal risk conditions during labour
Having a caesarean section for any reason
The pregnant woman has spine and bone structure problems.

Treatment and study plan

sacral massage with tennis ball

Other

When the cervical dilatation in labor is 5-6 cm, 7-8 cm and 9-10 cm, the woman will be asked to mark the intensity of the pain she feels on the VAS scale before starting the procedure. Then, the researcher explains sacral massage to the pregnant woman. While performing this application, the researcher will apply pressure to the sacral area with a tennis ball in a circular motion so that the patient can feel but not feel pain. The application will be applied to the pregnant woman for a total of 3 contractions. 30 minutes after each procedure, the woman will be asked to mark the intensity of the pain she feels on the VAS scale and mark the Birth Comfort Scale. The research will end when a total of 70 experimental groups and 70 control groups are reached.

Primary outcomes

Labor pain

Time frame: Cervical dilatation will assses from 5-6 cm, 7-8 cm and 9-10 cm until delivery.

Visual Analog Scale (VAS) is a scale to measure pain and other subjective symptoms. It was as first introduced by Hayes and Patterson in 1921. The Scale maximum point is 10 and minimum point is zero. And as the scale score increases, the pain measure also increases.When cervical dilatation is 5-6 cm, the pregnant woman is asked to mark her pain score on a VAS (Visual Analog Scale) score from one to ten, and then massage is applied. After 30 minutes of massage, the pregnant woman is asked to rate the pain score on the VAS (Visual Analog Scale).

Secondary outcomes

birth comfort

Time frame: Cervical dilatation will assses from 5-6 cm, 7-8 cm and 9-10 cm until delivery.

Childbirth Comfort Questionnaire is a scale for assessing childbirth comfort. The validity and reliability of the scale was made by Potur et al. in 2014. The Scale maximum point is 45 and minumum point is nine. And as the scale score increases, the comfort level also increases.

When cervical dilatation is 5-6 cm, the pregnant woman is asked to check the appropriate options on the 9-item scale on the CCQ. We want this procedure to be done three times in total when the pregnant woman is 5-6 cm, 7-8 cm and 9-10 cm.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Effect of Sacral Massage With a Tennis Ball on Labor Pain and Comfort During the Intrapartum Period

Important dates

Study start: 2025
Primary completion: 2025
Study completion: 2026
First posted: Mar 27, 2025
Registry last updated: May 13, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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